Bob Beers (politician)
Robert T. "Bob" Beers represents City of Las Vegas Ward 2 on its City Council. He was a member of the Nevada Senate, representing Clark County District 6 (map) from 1999 to 2008. He previously served in the Nevada Assembly from 1999 to 2003. Professional history A certified public accountant (CPA) since 1989, Beers founded Las Vegas computer accounting consultants Wilson, Beers & Alu in 1989, and sold it to a large local CPA firm in 2002. Currently, he is the managing member of Seale and Beers, CPAs.Seale and Beers, CPAs "Seale and Beers, CPAs, website". Retrieved 8 June 2012. He serves several business enterprises as a contract-based Chief Financial Officer. Before becoming a Certified Public Accountant, Beers worked for radio broadcasting companies in Reno and Las Vegas as News Director. At KMJJ in 1982, he won "Best Miniseries" and "Best Newscast" awards from the Associated Press in the AP's Medium Market California-Nevada-Hawaii division. Political history Beers was elected to the Las Vegas City Council in a special election in April 2012. In 1998, Beers was elected to the Nevada Assembly (Nevada's Legislature is part-time, meeting four months every two years). As Assemblyman representing District 4, Beers served in three regular and three special session. He was assigned to the Ways & Means, Commerce & Labor, and Elections, Procedures & Ethics committees of the Assembly. In 2003, Beers led a one-third coterie of legislators in opposition to Governor Guinn's $1.25-billion dollar, 33% increase in state spending and taxing. The following year Beers was elected to the Nevada Senate, defeating 20-year incumbent Republican Ray Rawson who had supported the increases. For the 2005 Legislative Session, Beers was appointed Vice-Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, where he helped direct about half the Senate Republicans' traditional "pork" spending toward reducing the Nevada Income Tax (Payroll Tax) by 3%. He also served as a member of the Committees on Natural Resources and Legislative Operations. As a Senator, Beers has already served one regular session and two special sessions. In 2006, Beers spearheaded gathering over 150,000 signatures to put a TABOR-style amendment (called TASC for Tax And Spend Control) on the November 2006 general election ballot. He ran for Governor that year, but lost in the August 15 primary to Congressman Jim Gibbons who went on to win the general election. In 2008, Beers was defeated for reelection by Democrat Allison Copening in a year of sweeping Democratic victories. Some say the victories were driven by the popularity and campaign organization of Barack Obama while others contend the Nevada Democratic Party conducted a campaign of political slander.Schumacher, Geoff "GEOFF SCHUMACHER: Beers is an unfair victim of Democratic dirty tricks". Las Vegas Review Journal. 7 September 2008. Retrieved 12 February 2010. Beers sued, and the Nevada Democratic Party made a payment and apology to settle out-of-court in 2010.Spillman, Benjamin "Democrats Settle Lawsuit, ex-senator says". Las Vegas Review Journal. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2012. Personal history Beers moved to Las Vegas at age 11, graduating from Clark High School (with high honors) in 1977, and from UNLV (with distinction) with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in 1987. His community activities have included or include: volunteer treasurer for Southern Nevada Clean Communities and the Nevada Republican Party; president of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Business Expo; and President-elect for the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Business Council. As a volunteer, he has created or maintained websites for over a dozen community organizations. He is a member of the Las Vegas Northwest Rotary Club, Nevada Society of Certified Public Accountants, U.S. Chess Federation, and the American Mining History Association. References External links *Nevada State Legislature - Senator Bob Beers official government website *Project Vote Smart - Senator Bob Beers (NV) profile *''Follow the Money'' - Bob Beers **2006 2004 2002 2000 1998 1996 campaign contributions for Senator **2006 campaign contributions for Governor *Beers for Nevada official campaign website Category:Members of the Nevada Assembly Category:Nevada State Senators Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:Nevada Republicans Category:American accountants Category:People from Livermore, California